Dump-car.



No. 767,657; PATBNTED AUG. 16, 1904. I SI I DUMP GAR.

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s. OTIS.

DUMP GAR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1903.

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. No, 767,657. PATENTEDAUG. 16, 1904.

s. 0TIS., DUMP GAR.

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-- 2 nmmm I I? in m 7 IIIHIW NIH Patented August 16, 1904.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPENCER OTIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL COAL DUMP CAR COMPANY, OF RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA,-AND CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

DUMP-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,657, dated August 16, 1904.

Applicationfiled December 26,1903. Seria1No.186,642. (Nomodel-l M k. a.)

To all whom) it may concern.

Be it known that I, SPENCER OTIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dump-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of dumpcars which are provided with a drop-bottom portion formed of a plurality of swinging sections, and particularly to the means by which the swinging sections are opened and closed, all of which will more fully hereinafter appear. I

The principal object of the invention is to provide a dump-car having a drop-bottom portion with simple, economical, and efficient opening and closing mechanism.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from an examination of the drawings and the following description and claims.

The invention consists principally in a dump-car in which there are combined a dropbottom portion formed of a plurality of swinging sections pivotally secured to the car at each side of the longitudinal center, a sliding bar arranged so as to contact the lower portions of such doors to open and close the same, a rock-shaft connected with such sliding-bar mechanism, and gear mechanism for rotating such rock-shaft.

The invention consists, further and finally, in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of one type of car as it appears when constructed in accordance with these improvements, showing the drop bottom mechanism in closed position as shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 2, a similar view showing the operating-lever and other mechanism in position to open the drop-door mechanism as shown in Fig. A; Fig. 3, a cross-sectional elevation of a portion of the car, showing the drop-door mechanism in closed position and taken -on line 3 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 4, a similar view showing the drop-door mechanism in open or dumping position; Fig. 5, a plan view of one end of the car as it appears when constructed in accordance with these improvements looking at it from above and with the parts removed to show the sliding bar and attached mechanisms, and Fig. 6 an enlarged sectional detail taken on line 6 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of thearrow.

In constructing a dump-car in accordance with these improvements I make a supporting-framework a of any desired-or usual construction and which is preferably provided with upwardly-extending side boards 6 and end boards a. This type of car is provided with what is known as a drop-bottom portion formed of a plurality of swinging sections d, pivotally secured at their inner edges to the framework of the car at each side of the longitudinal center. In this type of car I prefer to use a central A-shaped section a, which acts as a housing for the rock-shaft and other mechanisms hereinafter described and to assist in dumping or discharging the entire load of the car to either orboth sides of the track. To open and close these swinging bottom-sections, slide-bar mechanism f is provided and slidingly mounted upon track mechanism g so that they may reciprocate backwardly and forwardly, or, more properly speaking, inwardly and outwardly, to open and close the drop-bottom swinging sections. Each of these swinging bottom-sections is provided with a cam portion h, secured to the bottom portion and formed of wrought-iron, and is of such arrangement that it may be contacted by the antifriction-wheels 2' on said sliding-bar mechanism to close the doors, as shown particularly in Fig. 3. To reciprocate these sliding bars inwardly and outwardly,

rock-shaft mechanisms j j are provided, having their bearing portions in the framework of the car. These rock-shaft mechanisms are mechanisms.

mechanisms in an eflicient manner, and thus permit the parts to be locked against ordinary displacement and rotated as desired, such rock-shafts are provided with ratchet-wheels l and operating-levers m, loosely mounted thereon and adjacent to the ratchet-wheels. These operating levers are provided with pawls n a, pivotally secured thereto, so that they may be swung to either side to rotate such ratchet-wheels, and thereby the rockshafts, in either direction. Dog mechanisms p are provided and arranged to engage the ratchet-wheels when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 6 and hold the rockshafts against rotation, and thereby the swinging bottom-sections in closed position. To provide means for moving these operatinglevers as desired, segmental racks q are provided, and the upper ends of the operatinglevers are bifurcated, as at r, so as to straddle or span the segmental-rack mechanisms, as shown particularly in Fig. 6. These bifurcated yokes or bracket portions of the operating-levers are provided with antifrictionrolls s, engaging the upper smooth surface of the segmental racks, and with rotatable pinions t, engaging the toothed surface of such racks. The shafts it, upon which these rotating pinions are mounted, are provided with cranks and handles o, by which such pinions are rotated and the operating-lever moved backwardly or downwardly, as desired.

In operation, assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, the dogs 2 are knocked out of engagement with the ratchetwheels and the crank-handles rotated in the direction of the arrows, so that the rotation of the pinions causes the lever-arms to be swung .outwardly and downwardly, thereby rotating the rock-shafts and operating the sliding-bar mechanism from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. i, all of which permits the swinging bottom-sections to drop into open or discharging position. To close the drop-door mechanism, the pawls are swung over to the position shown in Fig. 2 and the crank-handles rotated in the direction of the arrows in such figure, all of which moves the operating-levers upwardly and inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1 and the parts from the position shown in Fig.4 to that shown in Fig. 3. The dogs 2) may be again thrown into engagement with the ratchet-wheels to prevent the easy unlocking of the parts and the opening of the swinging bottom-sections, all of which will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

In illustrating and describing these improvements I have only illustrated and described that which I consider to be new, taken in connection with so much as is old as will properly disclose the invention to others and enable those skilled in the art to practice the same, leaving out of consideration other and well-known elements, which if set forth herein would only tend to confusion, prolixity, and ambiguity.

I claim 1. In adump-car of the class described, the combination of a drop-bottom portion formed of a plurality of swinging sections pivotally secured to the car at each side of the longitudinal center, a sliding bar arranged so as to contact the lower portions of such doors to open and close the same, a rock-shaft connected with such sliding-bar mechanism, and gear mechanism for rotating such rock-shaft, substantially as described.

2. In a dump-car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-framework, a drop-bottom portion formed of a plurality of swinging sections pivotally secured thereto at each side of the longitudinal center, slidingbar mechanism for opening and closing such swinging sections, rock-shaft mechanism connected with such sliding-bar mechanism to operate the same, lever mechanism on such rockshaft mechanism, and gear mechanism for operating such lever mechanism to rotate the rock-shaft and thereby open and close the drop-bottom swinging sections, substantially as described.

3. In a dump-car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-frame portion, a drop-bottom portion formed of a plurality of swinging sections pivotally secured thereto at each side of the longitudinal center, slidingbar mechanism for opening and closing such swinging sections, rock-shaft mechanism connected with such sliding-bar mechanism to operate the same, operating-lever mechanism secured to such rock-shaft mechanism, segmental-rack mechanism secured to the frame of the car, and pinion mechanism on the operating-lever mechanism engaging with such rack, substantially as described.

4. In a dump-car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-framework, a drop-bottom therefor formed of a plurality of swinging sections pivotally secured thereto and at each side of the longitudinal center, sliding-bar mechanism for opening and closing such swinging sections, rock-shaft mechanism connected with such sliding-bar mechanism, ratchet-wheel mechanism on such rockshaft mechanism, operating-lever mechanism loosely mounted on such rock-shaft mechanism and provided with pawl mechanism to engage such rock-shaft and operated in a different direction, and gear mechanism for moving the operating-lever mechanism, substantially as described.

5. In a dump-car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-framework, a

drop-bottom therefor formed of a plurality of swinging sections pivotally secured at their inner edges to each side of the longitudinal center of such supporting-framework, sliding-bar mechanism for opening and closing such swinging bottom sections, rock shaft ism on such operating-lever mechanism engaging the rack mechanism, substantially as described.

6. In a dump-car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-framework, a drop-bottom portion formed of a plurality of swinging sections pivotally secured thereto in each side of the longitudinal center, slidingbar mechanism for opening and closing such swinging bottom sections, rock-shaft mechanism, compound link mechanism connecting the rock-shaft with the sliding-bar mechanism, ratchet-wheel mechanism on the rockshaft mechanism, operating-lever mechanism loosely mounted on the rock-shaft mechanism and provided with pawl mechanism in engagement therewith to rotate the ratchetwheel mechanism in either direction, segmental-rack mechanism attached to the framework of the car, a bifurcated yoke on the end of the operating-lever mechanism straddling the segmental rack and provided with an antifriction-roll in engagement therewith so as to hold such operating-lever mechanism in operative position, and a pinion mounted in such bifurcated yoke or bracket in engagement with the segmental rack to move such operating-lever mechanism, substantially as described.

SPENCER OTIS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, ANNIE C. COURTENAY. 

